Multiple catalogues/ingesting - best practice?

[Dewcal]

Hi,

Forgive if the following is a less than ideal way of doing things....but having used PMP for two months I am trying to get my head around ways of working. Am using PMP v5465 on Windows 10 if it makes any difference.

I keep all my RAW files in one main catalogue with a folder structure of the year, month, day and I keep the original image file names.  It is into this catalogue that I want all newly ingested images to go.

When I process images these (jpg, png, tiff etc) derivatives are saved to a different disc/folder under job name and still the original image number.

If I make a catalogue of each "job", how do I avoid any new "ingests" being added to all of them when I bring more photos into the main catalogue? Do I need to remember to "untick search & add/modify" each time?  (I know I would forget to do this and end up with new images in every "job" catalogue!)

Is there anywhere in settings/preferences/ingest menu where I can specify the catalogue I wish to ingest into? I have been able to specify the folder for all the RAW images to go to. but have not seen such an option for the catalogue to be chosen.  I don't particularly wish to see all the derivatives mixed in the same catalogue as the RAW files especially as I normally search under the file name.

Or am I going about this in totally the wrong way?

Thanks for any help
Dave

[Kirk Baker]

Dave,

Forgive if the following is a less than ideal way of doing things....but having used PMP for two months I am trying to get my head around ways of working. Am using PMP v5465 on Windows 10 if it makes any difference.

I keep all my RAW files in one main catalogue with a folder structure of the year, month, day and I keep the original image file names.  It is into this catalogue that I want all newly ingested images to go.

When I process images these (jpg, png, tiff etc) derivatives are saved to a different disc/folder under job name and still the original image number.

If I make a catalogue of each "job", how do I avoid any new "ingests" being added to all of them when I bring more photos into the main catalogue? Do I need to remember to "untick search & add/modify" each time?  (I know I would forget to do this and end up with new images in every "job" catalogue!)

I think this would quickly get out of control.  I don't know how many jobs you'll work, but if you have hundreds per year, you'd have hundreds of catalogs.  Why not have one "Jobs" (or "Derivatives") catalog?  And yes, you'll have to manage which catalog is set to add/modify before you start your Ingest.  Since Ingest is only needed when downloading images from your camera cards for the first time, wouldn't they be going into your main catalog, where you're currently putting your RAW files?

When you produce your derivatives and browse them, why not select them and then add them to your "Jobs" catalog?  No need for Ingest, they're already on your computer and Photo Mechanic Plus never "owns" your files, it just helps you find them.

Is there anywhere in settings/preferences/ingest menu where I can specify the catalogue I wish to ingest into?

You do this in the Active Catalogs section of the Organizer or in the Catalog Management window.  But once again, there is no reason to use Ingest for your derivative images that already exist on your computer's file system.

-Kirk

[Dewcal]

Kirk,

Thanks, as usual, for your prompt response and for helping me get my head around PMP!

In terms of a "jobs" catalog, if I have produced derivatives and saved these to their respective folder(s), if I have "add/modify" unticked in the Active Catalog window, am I then able to use the "quick" sync mode to get these derivatives into the "jobs" catalogue?

I think I may not have been clear enough in my last comment as I would only want to "ingest" into the main catalogue.

Thanks again.
Dave

[Kirk Baker]

Dave,

In terms of a "jobs" catalog, if I have produced derivatives and saved these to their respective folder(s), if I have "add/modify" unticked in the Active Catalog window, am I then able to use the "quick" sync mode to get these derivatives into the "jobs" catalogue?

Catalog Sync synchronizes the catalog(s) directly and does not need you to first manipulate the Add/Modify check boxes.

But do understand that Catalog Sync will find new folders/files in the paths that it is scanning, so you'd be best off to keep your derivatives in an entirely different directory structure or your RAWs are going to end up in your Jobs catalog and your derivatives are going to end up in your main catalog.  That said, you can use the folder pattern exclusion feature to exclude the originals from your Jobs catalog and your derivatives from your main catalog.  You'd need some sort of consistent naming strategy that you can work with like:

2021_01_19/
  Originals/
    (your RAWs go here)
  Derivatives/
    (your JPEGs, TIFFs, PSDs go here)

Then you could ignore Derivatives on your main catalog and Originals on your Jobs catalog.

HTH,

-Kirk

[Dewcal]

Kirk,

Thanks for this - think I see a way forward - will do a few experiments and see how workable they are.

Dave